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OPINION

Crying fire in a crowded rally

Letter
Published 2:09 p.m. ET March 15, 2016

A protester holds up a ripped campaign sign for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump before a rally on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, Friday, March 11, 2016, in Chicago.(Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast, AP)

Fox News reported that the Chicago protesters denied Trump his “right to free speech” – really? The Supreme Court famously described the limits of free speech as “crying fire in a crowded theater.” Aren’t Trump’s trademark and incendiary taunts, jeers and baiting speech at his rallies the equivalent to “crying fire”? His hate speech has set off a firestorm of the basest Republican tinder.

The courageous protesters ran into that firestorm and shut down Trump’s rally Friday night in an exceptionally spirited and peaceful manner. The protest was a clear reaction to an African American protester being punched in the face, unprovoked, clearly egged on by the comments and atmosphere created by Mr. Trump at his rally the night before. The punch in the face was not in isolation. It was worst in a pattern of racist and roughshod removal of peaceful protesters at his rallies, infused by Trump’s ignorant and un-American hate speech.

Fox characterized the protest as chaos and an example of America’s decline. I would argue that this protest was democracy in action, democracy to be celebrated, democracy at its and our best – the people clearly spoke and told Trump that he cannot jeer as protesters are removed, taunt them with comments like, “Go back to your mother,” “I love the old days, you know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this?

They'd be carried out in a stretcher, folks. Oh, it's true." "The guards are very gentle with him…I'd like to punch him in the face, I'll tell you," inciting his supporters to violence with comments like, “I’ll pay your legal bills.”

Well, no court case or Supreme Court decision was necessary. The people’s peaceful protest told Trump that he has clearly crossed the line, not only the line of free speech, but the line of racism, sexism, xenophobia and religious intolerance. I laugh when Republicans wonder, “How can the Democrats have an avowed socialist in their party and primary?” Then I incredulously respond, “Really, how can your Republican Party allow a rising fascist in yours?”

Speaking of crying fire, when will the Republicans and our country make Trump eat his hateful words and resoundingly say, “Mr. Trump, you’re fired.”